Junior Juvonte Reddic led VCU with 16 points Saturday. He is one of three starters set to return in 2013-14.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Rob Brandenberg wasn’t ready to turn the page. It was too soon, the loss too recent, the pain still too raw. After VCU’s 78-53 loss to Michigan Saturday in the NCAA Third Round at The Palace of Auburn Hills, he wasn’t prepared to reflect on a season filled with a lifetime of highlights. Not yet.

“You know, later on in the future, but right now, I can’t do that,” he said.

It’s a cruel reality we face every season, one that VCU Coach Shaka Smart embraced in 2010 on the way to a CBI Championship, “very few teams get to end their season with a win”, he preached. Smart understood the value of that final win and how it can help frame the narrative of the season.

This season was like a freight train of success. There were a couple of hitches along the way, but for the most part, the Rams chugged along with a momentum and enthusiasm that has been captivating. At some point, we hitched a ride and celebrated the victories and the milestones and didn’t want to end. It felt more like a party bus. But the inevitability of a day like Saturday closed in. When a season comes to an end, it’s rarely a soft, comfortable glide into the station. It’s more like hitting the bumpers at the end of the track: sudden, jarring and painful.

Some people hold onto that feeling longer than others. Some let that one negative event color what has been five months of achievement. Don’t.

Last season, after Indiana broke the Rams’ hearts in Portland in the Round of 32, I shared an elevator ride with Smart at the hotel. I asked him how the players were. He said that they were fine. But moments later, he lamented the night’s events, the loss still obviously eating at him. You could see in his eyes that he was replaying the game in his head. This year, prior to the Rams’ match-up with Butler, Smart revealed that he finally watched the game tape of the Rams’ Final Four game with the Bulldogs from 2011 that week. Coaches watch more video than the guys working surveillance in a Vegas casino, but he let that DVD collect dust for two years. Too painful. Whatever you’re feeling after Saturday’s loss, you can believe Smart and his players are feeling, tenfold.

On Saturday, Michigan, a team playing with four legitimate pros – not guys headed to the Serbian Pro A league, mind you – played like it. Michigan played crisp, sharp basketball, moved the ball terrifically, found open shooters and finished at the rim.

It was a tough draw for the Rams from the outset. The Wolverines’ strength, protecting the basketball, cancelled out the skill that made this VCU team truly special, the ability to speed teams up, force turnovers and generate easy buckets. The Rams did turn Michigan point guard Trey Burke over seven times – no small feat – but that alone wasn’t enough.

Michigan won, and the Wolverines earned it. And that’s going to sting. And that’s okay.

Freshman Melvin Johnson, and his trademark floater have a bright future ahead.

I’ve been around this program for eight years. I got here in 2005, right at the beginning of VCU’s ascent to prominence. On days like this I appreciate those eight years of perspective. Before I applied for my job, I had barely heard of VCU, and I was a big college basketball fan working in college athletics. To me, VCU could’ve stood for Vacuum Collection Unit or Vector Communication User and I wouldn’t have known any better. Today, I would have to live on the moon for that to happen.

I refuse to hold onto March 23 harder than November, December, January, February and the first three weeks of March. I refuse to hold onto this one loss tighter than “The Dagger” or Larry Sanders channeling David Robinson in the 2009 CAA Championship Game or March of 2011 – literally the most insane, magical, unbelievable three weeks of my life – or returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2013.

This year’s seniors, Darius Theus, Troy Daniels and David Hinton were party to 111 wins – most ever by a senior class at VCU – a league championship, a Final Four and three NCAA Tournament trips. They may let Saturday bug them for a while, but in five, 10 years, the victories are what they’ll be remembered for. It’s what they’ll remember too.

VCU rolled the dice this year on conference realignment and jumped to the Atlantic 10. It could’ve hung back in the cozy CAA, but that was a road stagnation. Like Havoc, VCU was willing to take a few risks because it knew the reward.

One of those risks was the level of competition. The difference in the A-10 this year compared to last year’s CAA was stark. Smart called the A-10 it possibly the deepest league in the country. I’d be hard-pressed to argue. There were many who expected the Rams to take a step back. They did not.

Smart and VCU were better than ever. The Rams finished 12-4 in the league, good for second, and reached the league’s championship game. VCU earned its first regular season national ranking in 28 years, as well as its highest NCAA seed since 1985.

Reason to love VCU Basketball No. 226: Briante Weber.

Meanwhile, the sellouts at the Siegel Center piled up, 30-something and counting. I need that Saxon Shoes graphic they flash on the video board to keep up now. When I got here, it was nice if we sold out the Old Dominion game. This year, VCU and Havoc became synonymous and were splashed all over the national media. Sports Illustrated, ESPN, the Today Show. Shaka Smart is a rock star and Havoc is a cultural movement. Heck, the VCU Pep Band is a bunch of rock stars. They were in the New York Times today. Seriously, The Peppas and the Old Gray Lady.

Eight years ago, VCU was filling the Siegel Center to about 70 percent capacity, the head coach’s office resembled that of a nice high school athletic director’s and the team was happy to get on ESPN3 a couple of times a year. Now, there’s a line to get into the arena that wraps around the corner and down the street, Shaka has a balcony overlooking the court and the Rams were on national TV for more than half of their games.

Come to think of it, I was wrong earlier. The freight train didn’t stop today. The VCU program has been chugging ahead for years now, and there’s plenty of wide-open track ahead. We’ll see you back at the station in November.

Related

NICE Your insights would make Mike Royko smile. VCU had a great season and the level of competition was better and very intense every night. The RAMS will return bigger and better than ever. CHEERS, since 2011, everybody knows your your name. The rest of the BBall world is scared of what this program is capable of, HAVOC is not a secret, they’re all trying to get ready for for it, no one wants to be the next victim

I too have watched VCU play since 2005 and have seen the metamorphosis of the program. What I’d like to learn more about is the recruiting process. Specifically, are the Rams attracting higher quality recruits over the last few years?

A good perspective, but also this should be a reminder of the ceiling on the program, and this style of basketball. “Michigan Schmichigan” is a bit insulting and disrespectful headline for a team and coach that played brilliantly, with class, and exposed the vulnerabilities of this style of basketball.

We make a few more shots and reach in a few less times, especially early, and Saturday’s game had the potential to be much different. Many of our missed shots turned into long rebounds and UM was off to the races. If some of those misses are makes then we set up the press and UM takes their time bringing the ball up court and the game gets shortened a little bit. We will never know, but our guys will be back and will be very hungry. Lastly, with DJ leaving the team, our staff has an extra scholarship in its pocket and has a proven track record of signing very good high-appreciation players late in the recruiting season. Havoc 5.0…sign me up!

In the main, I have to agree that better days are ahead for the program. However, as a neutral observer I am troubled by a disturbing lack of sportsmanship shown to Akron. With 7 1/2 minutes left and leading by 46 points, Shaka Smart continued to play his starters and ordered a full court press on every possession. This would be bad enough but the Akron team was down 4 players including both starting guards and Coach Smart was playing his self-described “best friend in coaching.” One has to wonder if that gaudy point display played any role in the debacle that was the Michigan game. The law of averages decrees you only have so many shooting performances like that in a season and it seems to me some of that accuracy was left on the floor against Akron. There may be no scientific way to prove it but it’s plausible. On the other hand, maybe its karma, but either way it left a bad taste in in my mouth about the program that otherwise has been above reproach. Ambition is good but too much is greed and that usually leads to disaster.

Akron Coach Keith Dambrot said he had no problem with the way the game was played. Guys like Teddy O, Justin Tuoyo and David Hinton, played between 15-18 minutes. They pulled the press off midway through the second half. Teams get blown out. It happens.

i was there. we could have won by 100. unlike most teams that play 7, maybe 8 shakas’ team runs at least 11 deep. if you were more than a neutral observer you would know that. shaka gave significant rest to all key
players. we play one way and to ask our kids to play otherwise would undernine everything vcu is about and like sam says above disrespectful to a very game opponent.

As a relatively long time VCU grad (who now has a son at VCU as well) and who fell in love with the Rams during my sophomore year, in the 1979-80 season when VCU made their first NCAA tournament, having the Rams the talk of the town is fantastic. After graduating it was great watching the Rams continuing their winning way in ’83, ’84 and ’85. Then the program lost its way for nearly 20 years.

It is so much fun to see the program winning consistently again and gaining national prominence. Everyone now knows VCU and that’s great for the school and the program. When VCU went to the Final Four in 2011, I thought that was a once in a lifetime event (as I went to Houston as well). Now however, if VCU can keep Coach Smart, I feel a return visit to the Final Four is completely possible. I enjoyed this past season and believe great things will happen for the Rams in 2013-2014. Thanks for the memories this year and a bright future for the program and VCU.

“Akron Coach Keith Dambrot said he had no problem with the way the game was played.”

****************

What else could he say without appearing small. Teams do get blown out but when your friends do it to you in an historic way on national tv, you have to wonder about your friend.

“With his team up by 40 midway through the second half, Smart didn’t show any mercy on his former boss and close friend, Dambrot. Smart left his starters in the game until there were about seven minutes left.
“We’re not going to fall back and play zone,” Smart said. “That’s not what we do.”
The Rams kept pressing, making behind-the-back passes, hitting layups and draining 3-pointers along with an alley-oop dunk in a relentlessly dominating performance.
“If you’re up, you can’t let up,” VCU guard Darius Theus said. “We made up our minds at halftime that we weren’t stopping.”
~ESPN

So maybe VCU should complain about Michigan running up the score? They only played their reserves less than 30 seconds and all of their starters played an average of 35 minutes. They had 25+ points lead most of the second half and attempted to make Sportscenter type dunks. Go back to your Akron board.

I’ve been very proud of the Rams all year. Of course, this loss was disappointing and abrupt. But, I am grateful to have many more years of watching Shaka shape this team, the A10, and college basketball in general. VCU as changed because of this team…all for the better.

As a true blue Michigan fan,Your team has know reason to hold there heads,We probably played the best game of the season Saturday,I wish we could of played like that during conference play against the Indiana’s @ Ohio State’s,I would like to congrats on a great season @ I know your team will be hungry next year to go a little further in the tourney!!! Good Luck!!!

Come on now. You rotate 8 guys and they all played significant minutes. You were up by 25 after 20 minutes and up by 40 after 30 minutes. You had a good year but when it’s all said and done you made the NCAAs won a game and then lost by 25. You’re a lot like JMU that did the same thing.

If you are a neutral observer I advise you to get your facts straight before you make allegations. Below is the number of minutes that our reserves played in the Akron game compared to the number of minutes they averaged this year:
Okerafor 18 minutes (Avg 8.3)
Tuoyo 16 minutes (Avg 7.2)
Weber 10 minutes (Avg 20.9) – 6th man who essentially plays starter min.
Hinton 15 minutes (Avg 5)
Johnson 23 minutes (Avg 17.3)
Guest 14 minutes (Avg 10.5)
I assume you left similar comments on Syracuse’s board since they won by even more than we did that night. Finally, to compare our season with JMU’s is insulting. You should just focus on your team rather than leave disparaging comments on others.

VCU, another great run. I remember watching the 08 CAA Championship in a Phoenix bar at 4 pm while on a business trip. I had on my VCU hat and black & yellow striped tie. No one knew who we were. By game’s end, I had converted 2-3 new fans. I gave one a VCU hat. And in ’11, he texted me while i was at the Final Four and said, “I’m wearing the hat. Thanks for telling me about VCU. They’re great.” And so goes the many stories — my first and only F4 experience in Houston, pinning a VCU button on Jay Bilas, the last minute DC-Rich drive to see VCU win its last CAA and storming the court as a crazy 49 yr old. True bucket list items. Thanks, Rams. We’ve come a long long way since the Franklin St Gym.

Someone mentioned ’78-’79 — I go back to ’65-’66 (Len Creech and his 40 points in the original FSG — the guy was great!). I have never been more excited about VCU’s future; we are in a time like no other. I truly believe that if we keep Shaka and we keep building our program like we have over the past 9 or so years (since my low point w/Mac), I will be able to see another Final 4 before I am no longer able to make it from Fredericksburg to see the games. Plus, we’re doing it the right way: this group of kids and coaches we’ve had over the last 4 years are what all alumni should want in school representation! A special thanks to our seniors — Darius, Troy,and David — here’s hoping every class can rise to the standard you all have set.

Wasn’t me on the Syracuse board, so maybe you need some fact checking but its good to recognize other people feel the same way. As for your arrogant comparison to another state school I suggest you remember JMU lost to a number 1 seed with a number 16 seed ranking by less than vcu did to a team seeded one place higher. You may think you sit atop the mountain but a lot of us think you underachieved given your talent level and the Akron game was a travesty of sportsmanship. Sorry if the facts get in the way of your fanaticism.

So what years did you attend Akron?
Apparently you also have a problem with comprehension. The poster above only assumed you left messages on the Syracuse board since they also won by an even larger margin. Never said you did. Go back to the Akron board please.

Thanks so much for the fantastic article. I needed it so much to get out of my funk. I’m really, really excited about VCU and the next year. We’ll miss Theus, Daniels, and Hinton terribly (and Theus’ Dad, too!) RAMS, thanks for all the amazing thrills these past few years! Shaka, please stay!!!!!

Sportsmanship typically is regarded as a component of morality in sport, composed of three related and perhaps overlapping concepts: fair play, sportsmanship, and character.[6] Fair play refers to all participants having an equitable chance to pursue victory[7] and behaving towards others in an honest, straightforward, and firm and dignified manner even when others do not play fairly. It includes respect for others, including team members, opponents, and officials.[8] Character refers to dispositions, values, and habits that determine the way that person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures, and successes, and is typically seen in polite behaviors toward others, such as helping an opponent up or he or she is believed to possess “good character” when those dispositions and habits reflect core ethical values.——-this is from Webster dictionary

Mespo- this was the definition you were looking for regarding sportsmanship. Nowhere does it say that scoring more than your opponents is poor sportsmanship. If you look at the game, VCU played with sportsmanship. They respected the opponent by not stopping the way they play. If VCU stopped playing their game that would disrespect the sport and institution of competitive play.

what a season. So don’t know what to do now with my leisure time.🙂 Is it too early to get in line for season tix for next year? Thanks to the Rams, coaching staff and other PROUD alum like myself. What a thrill this year has been.